Hastings and their love for Ki o Rahi

2018 NZ Secondary School Ki o Rahi Nationals - Hastings Boys

Recently we caught up with Rueben Sanders a young man from the Hawkes Bay who played Ki o Rahi for Hastings Boys last year and has now jumped on board as a coach to help Hastings Boys and Girls in their preparation for the 2019 NZ Secondary School Ki o Rahi Nationals held in Hastings.

We wanted to find out a little bit more about Hastings and their love for the game of Ki o Rahi as well as to gain some insight into Ki o Rahi in the Hawkes Bay, we also thought their experiences at the NZ Secondary School Nationals over the years might help some of the newer teams heading to Nationals for the first time!

Thanks Rueben and Hastings Boys and Girls for a small insight into their world of Ki o Rahi!

How did you get into Ki o Rahi?

A few of the Hastings boys started playing at the comp in Hawkes Bay and really enjoyed it so we entered a team in our regionals thanks to Matua Daryl

How many years have Hastings Boys been playing Ki o Rahi and what years have they attended Ki o Rahi Nationals?

Hastings boys have been playing for 4 years and went to Nationals for 3 years

The first time Hastings Boys went to Ki o Rahi Nationals, how did the team go and how was the experience?

It actually went really well, I think we only came 11th or something but it was good to do something with our sister school and see what talent was outside of the Bay

2018 NZ Secondary School Ki o Rahi Nationals - Hukarere Girls

What were the biggest things the team learned?

Just that the game is a team sport so there’s no individuals and seeing them develop to be able to play with each other was a mean experience on its own

What has been the highlight of Hastings Boys Ki o Rahi journey so far?

Probably just seeing the standard that is set at Nationals, watching the top teams and learning how they play

What are you looking forward to this year at Nationals in your hometown of Hastings?

Just seeing all the teams that are coming and hopefully to see the boys and girls pick their game up and give the top teams a run for their money

Who are the teams you enjoy playing against and why?

Karamu they’re always the team to beat around here and it’s always good to get one up on them but yeah the team just loves playing all the teams at Nats and seeing how passionate they are to play

What does preparation look like for you guys in the lead up to Nationals?

Right now the team is just focusing on all the little things to help them, so we’re just focusing on all the little 1 per-centers and hopefully it all just goes together leading up to Nats

If you could describe the style of Taniwha your team plays in one word what would it be?

Energetic

If you could describe the style of Ki oma your team plays in one word what would it be?

Flowing

What do you/the team enjoy about Ki o Rahi?

Just meeting new people and being able to just jam with your mates and to be able to say yeah I left everything on the field at the end of the day

What other sports do the team play? And how does that contribute to the team?

Most of the boys and girls either play touch, netball or rugby. Them playing these sports help them to keep fit and also gain better ball handling and communication skills

Outside of your school – how popular is Ki o Rahi in the area?

Honestly it’s getting more popular but there isn’t much high schools that put teams in. Regionals this year was only Hastings, Karamu, Te Aute Boys and Hukarere Girls, TKKM o Te Ara Hou and TKKM o Te Wananga Whare Tapere o Takitimu.

Who are the main drivers of Ki o Rahi in your area and how have they helped make Ki o Rahi as popular as it is?

The main driver for us was Matua Daryl if it wasn’t for him getting us to jam for him Hastings probably still wouldn’t have a team, but overall Whaea Pene helped grow the ki o rahi community as a whole getting as much competition as possible.

What made you get into coaching?

I just had a passion for the game and seeing as last year was my last year at school I wanted to help the team further their skill level and make another Nats. Also, just spending time with the boys and girls and seeing how they come together and do their thing on the field there’s no better feeling as a coach to see them doing their best

What visions do you/the team have for Ki o Rahi in the future?

Just to keep developing our game and hopefully one year we will surprise a few faces at Nats

Thanks again to Rueben and Hastings Boys and Girls, we wish you all the best at Nationals!

If anyone else would like to do an interview about their love for Ki o Rahi then please contact us here. It doesn’t matter if you are a coach, player, referee or supporter - we would love to hear from you :D

For more awesome photos check out the Tairawhiti Nationals Facebook Page here.